Indicating wall socket



June 23, 1936. c, TE N I 2,045,199

' INDICATING WALL SOCKET Filed Oct. 25, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l June 1936- c.M. PETERSEN INDICATING WALL SOCKET Filed Oct. 23, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 E: I l

I I I Carl MPgBZBrsen,

Patented June 23, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF ICE INDICATING WALL SOCKET Jersey Application October 23, 1931, Serial No. 570,723

1 Claim.

This invention relates to electrical fixtures, and more particularly to an improvement in wall receptacles.

Frequently various devices such as irons, toasters, and the like are tapped into an outlet and there is no safe means to indicate that such device is being supplied with current so that the user will know that the device should not be left unattended an undue length of time to cause overheating and probably consequent fire.

Accordingly, a primary object of the invention is to provide a receptacle having electrical means for indicating that current is being supplied to a line tapped into the receptacle. That is to say, the present invention includes in its organization means for receiving a tap or plug and an electrical indicator lamp which is dark when the receptacle is not in use, but on the other hand, automatically lighted by the insertion of an electrical connector in the receptacle, thereby to announce that current is being supplied to the connected line.

Another and distinctive feature of the invention resides in providing a lamp guard connected directly with the body of insulating material which constitutes the receptacle housing. Heretofore, lamp guards have been mounted on the face plate which covers the receptacle. This practice necessitates a special type face plate, that is, a face plate of special design which increases manufacturing costs and at the same time requires the carrying of extra stock. In the present invention the construction is such that the lamp guard may be directly mounted on the insulating body which houses the insulating body and switch mechanism so that a standard type of face plate can be readily used.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and practical form of circuit closing means for the indicating lamp and also a novel mounting for the screw shell which receives the indicating lamp. 7

With the above and other objects in view which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front plan view of the present receptacle with the lamp guard removed.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the receptacle shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 with the face plate assembly onthe receptacle.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure'2.

Figure 5 is a detail view of the lamp guard.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The present invention includes in its organization a receptacle body I formed of insulating-material and provided with the switch or service terminal chamber 2 and the lamp chamber 3. These chambers are separatedby an intervening insulating wall W and are closed at their rear ends by a suitable cover plate construction 4 secured in position by a screw or other fastening 5. The front of the receptacle body I isprovided with the projecting bosses 6 which pass through suitable apertures 1 in the face plate 8 (Figure'B), the latter being held to the body by means of the screw or equivalent fastening 9.

The switch chamber 2 communicates with :the front face of the receptacle by means of the 'pin slots Ill which are adapted to receive the pins or prongs of a standard push type plug or connector indicated in dotted lines in Figure 4. Arranged in the switch chamber 2, in the path of the slots ID are spring contact members I1 and 12, the latter having a circuit closing extension or arm 13 whose purpose will hereinafter more fully appear. The contact members II and [.2 are respectively mounted on terminal plates lll' and IN, which are fitted into grooves on the'insulating base (see Fig. 2) and held in place by brackets II and H The terminal plates II and I2 are provided with line wire terminals l I and I2 which includes the usual screw fastening for securing the lead-in wire to the receptacle.

The terminal plate H also carries therewith a conductor strip M which extends, across the insulating wall W through suitable apertures, from the switch chamber 2 to the lamp chamber 3 to provide electrical engagement with the screw shell S, as will presently appear more fully in detail.

A second conductor strip body part I6 is secured as I5, which includes the at l1 in a countersunk recess in the wall W, and by means of the rivet l8 supports the lamp socket or screw shell assembly in such a way that the said rivet or its equivalent plug contact for the lamp. I5 is also provided with a portion right angles with reference to the 55 constitutes the center The conductor l9 disposed at 2 part I6 and which extends into the switch chamber 2 as indicated at 2B to lie adjacent the movable switch arm I3 of the spring contact l2.

Upon the insertion of a connector pin in the slot I leading to the spring contact i2, the latter will be compressed to the dotted line position shown in Figure 4 thereby to bring the end of the switch arm 53 into contact with the end 28 of the conductor IE to complete the circuit to the lamp L inserted in the screw shell S. The contact ll is electrically connected by the conductor M with the screw shell as previously generally indicated, and therefore, since the conductor i5 is connected with the center plug contact it, by suitable insulating means presently to be described, when the parts l3 and 253 are brought into engagement, the circuit will be closed through the lamp L in the socket and back to the terminal 12.

With further reference to the manner in which the conductors M and i5 are connected to the lamp socket or screw shell assembly, it may be pointed out that the conductor i l is provided with the right angularly disposed and laterally offset portion i i (Figure 3) which passes through a slot in the screw shell S and is in direct metallic contact with the bottom thereof. At one side of thepart i l there is provided an insulating washer 5 to insulate the rivet it from the screw shell and the bottom of the screw shell itself abuts against an insulating washer M which is arranged between the screw shell and the part [6 of the conductor it. The rivet or eyelet I8 which holds the parts just described assembled is in electrical contact with the part I6 of the conductor 55, but fully insulated from the screw shell by means of the insulating washers M and H3 The lamp chamber 3 is provided with an enlarged mouth or recess 2i at the outer face of the receptacle, and the wall of such recess is provided with the opposite retaining lugs 22-22 and the locking projections or buttons 23 for receiving and locking the lamp guard G in position.

By reference to Figure 5 it will be observed that the said lamp guard includes a body or hood 24 provided with light ray emitting apertures 25 and also provided with the attaching members 26. These members 26 are provided at one end with the laterally offset shoulders 27 for engaging behind the keeper lugs 22 when the guard is inserted in the recess and partly rotated to bring the keeper recesses 28 into engagement with the looking lugs or buttons 23. The attaching members 25 are sufiiciently resilient to permit of the same being compressed when the guard is rotated to enable the projections 2 to seat in the recesses 28. The interengagement of the parts 22 and 27? will prevent axial displacement of the guard while interengagement of the parts 23 and 28 will prevent rotary disengagement so that the guard is effectively held interlocked with the receptacle body. When it is desired to remove the lamp L for replacement purposes it is only necessary to remove the guard by a slight rotary movement and unscrew the lamp from the screw shell S. A new lamp may then be placed in position and the guard again interlocked with the body by a reversal of the rotary movement just described.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention provides a receptacle which permits of the guard directly interlocking with the receptacle body at the lamp location entirely independent of the face plate. Also the present construction and arrangement provides a novel indicating lamp socket assembly. That is to say, the screw shell S and the conductors i l and I5 may be united by the hollow rivet H! which constitutes the center plug contact so that the screw shell assembly and the conductors may be handied as a single unit. Also, since the conductor 5 is connected directly with the contact ii and bracket M all of the parts just described may be simply laid in o the proper parts of the receptacle body, after the contact l2-l3 has first been secured in the body by the bracket it and its fastening it The fastening ll in cooperation with the fastening 9 l (Figure 2) secures the entire screw shell assembly, conductors and one of the pin contacts in the insulating body, so that all of the interior mechanism is held within the r ceptacle independently of the cover plate l which merely serves as a cover or backing for protecting the rear face of the receptacle.

Without further description it is thought that the features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will of course be understood that changes the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claim.

I claim An indicating wall receptacle assembly including an insulating body having a socket chamber therein and a communicating lamp receiving opening at the front, said body being provided about said lamp receiving opening with a projecting boss, locking lugs on the body, a lamp socket mounted within and at the bottom of said chamber, a face plate secured to the insulating body over said boss, and a lamp shield arranged beyond the boss and provided with light emitting openings and also provided with a holding flange to engage with the lugs on said body.

CARL M. PETERSEN. 

